Fields made four 3-pointers and Lopez blocked five shots for Stanford, which improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2003-2004 when it won its first 26.

Lopez, a 7-foot sophomore, posed a difficult problem for the smaller Wildcats with his post play and shot blocking. Fields, meanwhile, was on target from the outside and Goods showed why he's been the team's leading scorer early in the season.

Northwestern freshman Michael Thompson scored all 16 of his points in the second half in the Wildcats' season opener.

Stanford forward Lawrence Hill injured his lower left leg as the teams battled for a rebound with 18:09 left and did not return. He was hurt during the Cardinal's 11-4 spurt opening the second half that featured a quick 3-pointer from Goods and two baskets by Lopez that helped expand the lead to 42-29.

But Thompson had six points to spark a 15-2 run and the Wildcats roared back to tie it on Jason Okrzesik's 3-pointer with 9:50 to go.

Good's nice reverse layup after another block by Lopez and then his three-point play helped Stanford build the lead back to 53-44.

Northwestern chopped the deficit back to three, but Fields sank another 3-pointer and the Cardinal ran out the victory at the line.

In the first half, Lopez stuffed a shot attempt by Nikola Baran and then raced to the other end to catch an alley oop, slamming it in to put the Cardinal up 23-22. He later added a jump hook and another dunk as Stanford went up six at the half.

Using three 3-pointers, Stanford scored 11 straight points after Northwestern got the opening basket. But the Wildcats caught up and regained the lead on Baran's 3-pointer from the deep corner.

It was Stanford's first road game after three lopsided home wins against Harvard, Northwestern State and UC Santa Barbara.

Northwestern's Kevin Coble, who last season became the first player in school history to lead the team in scoring and rebounding as a freshman, did not play. He is on leave from the program while his mother undergoes cancer treatments.